JEDDAH, 5 June 2003 — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd has donated SR100 million to establish an advanced medical center for the treatment of breast diseases at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center in Riyadh, according to Dr. Anwar Al-Jabarty, the hospital’s executive director general.
“The king’s donation will be utilized to establish a referral national center that would focus on treating breast diseases and conducting research on them,” he said, adding that the center’s services would be made available to patients in other hospitals in the Kingdom.
The center will organize training courses, workshops and conferences for doctors and nurses to enhance their knowledge and expertise in treating diseases.
Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Naeem, head of executive directors for the hospital’s operation, said the new center would have advanced medical facilities to diagnose and treat breast diseases. “Breast cancer is a growing disease among Saudi women,” he pointed out.
According to statistics released by the National Record for Tumors, breast cancer accounts for 20 percent of the total cancer cases in the Kingdom. “Many breast cancer cases are being transferred to our hospital,” he said.
The plan to establish the new center coincides with a study ordered by Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, to figure out the health and medical requirements of various regions.
A special panel set up for the purpose has been visiting hospitals and health centers in various parts of the country to register their needs in terms of medical equipment and personnel. The panel is scheduled to present its report to the crown prince within the next two weeks.
According to Dr. Abdul Rahman ibn Hamad Al-Homaidhi, adviser to the health minister, the Kingdom spends about 10 percent of its general budget or 6.8 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) for health services.
Addressing a workshop on cooperative health insurance in Riyadh recently, Homaidhi estimated the average annual spending on health care at SR1,652 per person.
He said health spending in the Kingdom was on the increase in recent years as a result of growing population and advancement in health technology. He estimated the global spending on health services at $2 trillion in 2000.
